Mockumentary? Documentary? Ren Faire.

June 2, 2024 7:00 AM

Who will claim the king’s throne? RenFaireHBO, a 3-part HBO Original Documentary Series which chronicles a fantastic and farcical succession battle of Shakespearean proportions at the Texas Renaissance Festival, premieres June 2 TRAILER [SLYT] (Warning: language.)
posted by Glinn (22 comments total)

I haven't been to TRF since the early Nineties. It's an amazing immersive space. I'll be interested to watch this bit of media about it.
posted by hippybear at 7:08 AM on June 2

I know a lot of people in the renfaire world. There's strong disagreement over whether this doc is exploitative reality TV garbage, a much-needed exposé of the crookedness and unchecked abuse that lurks behind the scenes, or a mixture of both.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:16 AM on June 2 [5 favorites]

In that confused space of trying to figure out whether something is real or not (I got most of the way through Man on Wire thinking it was a mockumentary), I find the line "to possibly fill in for his shoes" almost too genius to be real. But then maybe that's exactly why it has to be truth rather than fiction. One can't simply write that level of comedy. You have to just discover it.
posted by Flaffigan at 9:10 AM on June 2 [2 favorites]

Exposé or exploitation, either way, I'm here for it.

I've been waiting for something like this to come out about Burning Man, though I'm not sure how much drama there is to be mined in the organization itself. Some individual, long running camps, though, must have some insane drama, as these aren't profit driven, rather than pettiness, competition, reputation, egos and identity.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:26 AM on June 2 [4 favorites]

I'm told there's at least two big Ren Faires in Texas, is TRF the one where tribes of long-returning guests stake out the same territory of the campground each year and defend it like gang?
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:32 AM on June 2 [1 favorite]

TPG, probably. There's TRF, near Houston, and the camping is indeed in/famous. Just to muddy the waters, there's also Sherwood Forest, near Austin, which looks like a low budget Disney with some of the structures people build
posted by Jacen at 9:55 AM on June 2 [2 favorites]

As a long-time TRF-goer (grew up in Houston) and the spouse of a long-time-ago TRF company member, our household is excited about this.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:58 AM on June 2 [1 favorite]

This looks fun but I may wait and hear back from folks. It gives me a little bit of the Tiger King vibe, where these people were being presented as passionate iconoclasts until it just became increasingly clear most of the driving characters were manipulative, abusive drug addicts and the whimsy of the framing started to feel inappropriate, you know? To say nothing of the acceptance those characters received in the pop culture (though I recognize we were all kinda going through some stuff at the time.)

I've seen enough nerds get mean about who gets to be Boss Nerd of a D&D table or Vampire LARP or whatever that I've come to expect the endpoint to be kind of a bummer.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 10:58 AM on June 2 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure how much drama there is to be mined in the organization itself
The BMORG? Hoo, boy. Plenty. But they are canny enough not to want to be part of a documentary.

This got a lot of buzz at Independent Film Festival Boston. But I'll be honest, when I first heard the title, I really really hoped that someone had turned Medieval Land Fun Time World into a series.
posted by rednikki at 11:36 AM on June 2 [3 favorites]

That place looks really weird. Like RenFaire as spectator sport than than immersive experience. All the RenFaires I've been to are of the wander through the forest eating and drinking and meet odd folks type.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 11:40 AM on June 2

I think this is also being covered on the Renaissance TX podcast-- in case anyone wants further media on it!
posted by actionpact at 12:04 PM on June 2

nerds get mean

When the snit fits the slan.

Lots of murder mysteries written a clef in various fannish settings, which I think are less likely to make real people permanently more unhappy?
posted by clew at 12:16 PM on June 2 [2 favorites]

I worked in the performance company for a couple of years at TRF and I'm still friends with a lot of the company, including a number of people who are in this. I worked with Jeff and Brandy and the guy firing the cannon is the guy who recruited me in the 1990s. We were both skinnier and had more hair then.

Regardless of how close to actual events it is (I haven't seen it, but my friends were happy with the outcome), any TV show like this is edited to increase the drama and tell a story. The post about The Apprentice applies here as well. I don't have a personal opinion of George, but I sure know a lot of people who do.

The situation is real. TRF is a big, commercial renaissance fair an hour outside of a major city that makes a lot of cash and has an aging owner who has been King for decades. But I expect the drama has been played up by the producers to get it to the screen.

I'm excited to see it, regardless of how it turns out and regardless of what happens in a post King George world.
posted by Mad_Carew at 1:33 PM on June 2 [4 favorites]

Does Scarborough Faire in Waxahatchie [sp?] still exist?

I remember it being a better experience for me because I was only doing a single day at the fair and it was smaller and easier to digest.

The problem with ren faires in my mine is... they are black holes for money. You get cool things, but wow!
posted by hippybear at 1:49 PM on June 2

Waxahachie! Yes it does, though they ghosted me about a job after I went up there. I don't think Scarborough offers guest camping though
posted by Jacen at 3:38 PM on June 2

The algorithm serves me up a lot of Ren Faire videos, mostly because I watch a lot of videos of people making stuff (sewists/costumers, cosplayers, crocheters, visual artists, etc.) and clearly there's a huge crossover between people who are generally nerdy and like making things and like going to Ren Faires. I love it because I do love a Ren Faire (Maryland Ren Faire is my local) but also, it just seems like such a supportive community overall (like there are so many videos about "how to have a good Ren Faire" that are mostly "dress up and have fun and just be yourself"). And having been to Ren Faires, it's like, anything goes. Dress in your authentic costume or fake it as best you can. Just be a goth or not. Be as extra as you want to be. Just be yourself. No one cares and everyone loves it.

(Sadly, most of my travel plans this year don't line up with other Ren Faires unless I'm specifically traveling to one and I don't have that kind of money or dedication right now.)

So I will probably watch this but I do worry about how much it will turn into "look at these weirdos." I mean, yeah, Ren Faire people are weirdos but they are, for the most part, kind-hearted, accepting weirdos.

Also, if anyone wants to do a meetup at the Maryland Ren Faire this year, I'd probably be down for it. I kind of already have a costume planned but it needs some finishing touches.
posted by edencosmic at 3:45 PM on June 2 [2 favorites]

I live in NY, but I've been known to tag along with my friends from Silver Spring! Likely no garb for me, though. Maybe a hat.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:04 PM on June 2 [1 favorite]

It gives me a little bit of the Tiger King vibe

That's enough to keep me away.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:58 PM on June 2

(Maryland Ren Faire is my local)

MDRF is my 'home' faire (first attended in, like... 1983?... at the pre-Crownsville site). I've spent the last decade living on the other coast and attending the Northern California Ren Faire which is... good.

I might try to plan an upcoming trip east (40th HS reunion) to allow inclusion of a day at MDRF.
posted by hanov3r at 9:20 AM on June 3 [1 favorite]

No idea what she's really like or even how she is presented in the actual documentary, but Darla Smith is very much giving Mary McDonnell's Madeline Usher in this trailer.
posted by solotoro at 1:15 PM on June 3

Does Scarborough Faire in Waxahatchie [sp?] still exist?

Yes, Scarby is still around! We went a few weeks ago. Today, they've put out a press release disavowing all connection to the Ren Faire "Docu-fantasia".

The Dallas Morning News actually covered this. Somehow.

North Texas renaissance festival is in ‘NO WAY associated’ with festival in new HBO series

possibly paywalled, but the headline is the story...
posted by Mad_Carew at 9:53 PM on June 3

Been watching this (still have the final episode to go), and it's very well put together. "Docu-fantasia" seems about right, because there are scenes that seem staged, or have voice-over added for dramatic effect. And of course people know they are being filmed. But you get a clear narrative of a mad king, tragic in his own way. The sad-sack loyal Jeff who's willing to trash his own marriage to suck up to George, trying to be a good steward and unwilling to stab other people in the back while his own back attracts multiple daggers. And Louie, who wants it bad enough to make plenty of enemies but is obviously in over his head. I have a feeling there will be no winners here.
posted by rikschell at 6:41 AM on June 13